Howard, who missed half the season with an Achilles injury, struggled with his power early on, something he and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel attributed to his lack of playing time this season.

That doesn't appear to be a problem any longer. Howard has hit four home runs in his last four games, and Saturday's moonshot to center field marked his 300th career home run.

"He's swinging the bat pretty good," Manuel said. "He smoked that home run. Ball looked like it was a cutter or slider or something kind of down and away from him. He stayed on it. He's seeing the ball. That's a good indication."